According to a report released today by the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), there have now been 1.046 million personal bankruptcies since the start of the year. This is the highest since the first nine months of 2005 when people were rushing to file before the draconian new bankruptcy act of 2005 took effect (still better than the Victorian days of debtor prisons, but not much).   The institute expects to see the total for the year top 1.4 million. I think they are being conservative, especially given the rise in the unemployed, particularly the long-term unemployed. In September, there were 124,709 consumer bankruptcies, up 41% from a year ago. The graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows the history of bankruptcy filings since 1996 by quarter. The third quarter numbers come from the monthly ABI numbers; the quarterly numbers are from the administrative office of the U.S. courts.   If ...

As the US strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) approaches capacity (721.5 million barrels filled out of a total possible 727 million, and will be filled by January 2010), the federal government will fade out of the oil-buying business. Some bearish traders believe that this factor can weigh in on prices, since most petroleum stocks in the United States are government-held rather than private. Bullish traders have also used the filling of the Chinese SPR as a reason that oil should go much higher.

The team at Casey’s Energy Opportunities believe that planned government buying or selling of crude oil for SPRs actually have very little impact in the overall market. However, an overall drawdown of worldwide inventory could put downward pressure on the price of oil. The various countries also have their particular reasons and influences in decisions to tap their reserves.

So which countries are executing preparedness plans to fill their strategic

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TODAY: Russia-leaning communists toppled in Moldova; tit for tat diplomacy on Ukrainian diplomat spat.  Russia seeks second base in Kyrgyzstan; Georgia war report delayed.  Space officials complain about US shuttle jet lag.  Solzhenitsyn's widow anti-propaganda. President Medvedev is expected to wield Russian influence in Dushanbe today at a security summit with the leaders of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.   Ria-Novosti reports that Tajikistan wants Russia to begin paying for use of a military base on its territory and demands that Russian border guards leave.  Kyrgyzstan has agreed to accommodate a second Russian military base in the country's southern region.  It looks like pro-Western opposition parties have unseated the ruling Communist government in Moldova.  As President Voronin ...

A few years ago, corn-based ethanol fuel was all the rage. Farmers shelved crops like wheat and soybeans and planted more corn instead in order to cash in on the new revolution. Bill Gates and Richard Branson pumped in billions in funding. And ethanol stocks soared.

But the reality couldn’t match the hype, as the raw materials and cost required outweighed the output, and people realized that it would take greater viability to truly change people’s habits, psychology and the status quo in the energy sector.

But in today’s guest editorial from The Street Authority, editor Andy Obermueller explains how a different form of ethanol biofuel could revolutionize the landscape in just a few years - and hand early investors some outstanding potential profits. Check it out below…

Martin Denholm, Managing Editor, Smart Profits Report

The Ethanol Equation

In 1976, a businessman in North Central Kansas commissioned a CPA firm to do a feasibility study

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by Christina Goldman

It will warm the heart of the numismatic community or those devotees of the study or collection of currency to know that the Silver Peace Dollar Coin issuance was inspired by their interesting and widespread hobby.The Peace Dollar was minted by the The U.S. Mint during a seven-year period, from 1921-1928. This popular silver dollar coin was also produced in another two-year period, from 1934-1935.

The Numismatist, the official publication of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), featured an article in 1918 which suggested the minting of a coin to mark the end of World War I and the triumph of democratic ideals. This was the inspiration for the Peace Dollar coin.

This suggestion was further expounded at the ANA convention in Chicago in August 1920. It called for either a half-dollar or a dollar commemorative coin to provide ample space for a design showcasing liberty, prosperity, …

Friday January 23, 2009
Navivest

The Federal Trade Commission today gave Dow (DOW) the green light to complete its $18.8 billion proposed acquisition of Rohm and Haas (ROH). On January 8, Dow received EU clearance to go forward with the deal.

The FTC was concerned that Dow’s proposed $18.8 billion acquisition of rival chemical manufacturer Rohm & Haas Company would be anticompetitive and would violate federal law.

As a condition of the FTC’s consent decree, Dow will have to divest certain business lines.

Under terms of the merger agreement that it signed with Rohm and Haas, Dow has to consummate the deal within two days of receiving FTC approval.

Depending on whether that was two business days or not, we should hear something by Sunday or Tuesday.

This morning, we recommended that subscribers to our Navivest Equity Trader advisory service buy Rohm and Haas shares. We also made the same recommendation on this

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